South Korea regrets North's 'threat' of stern punishment

South Korea expressed regrets Monday over North Korea's "threat"of stern punishment against Seoul's distortion of Pyongyang's willingness toward dialogue.

Unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol told a press briefing that it was very regrettable for North Korea to distort and denounce South Korea's will to improve inter-Korean ties and even "threaten" the country through the country's National Defence Commission statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spokesman blamed Pyongyang for no clear response to Seoul's dialogue offer for almost a month, stressing that there was no change in its position that South Korea was ready to resolve all issues of mutual concern through dialogue irrespective of the form of dialogue.

Lim urged the North to come forward to the dialogue table "without hesitation" to talk about what it wants if it really wanted to enhance inter-Korean relations, calling for Pyongyang not to make unilateral claims.

His comments came a day after North Korea's National Defence Commission said that "even a basic dialogue mood has not been formed" as South Korea distorted North Korea's sincerity and will to improve inter-Korean relations.

The commission cited the planned joint annual military exercises between South Korea and the US, and Seoul's connivance of anti-North Korea leaflet spreading by South Korean civic groups.

North Korea has cited those two issues as well as the lifting of sanctions imposed by South Korea as preconditions for resuming inter-Korean talks.

Regarding the calls, Lim said South Korea was not considering accepting Pyongyang's preconditions to induce North Korea to the dialogue table, reiterating that it should come forward to the table to comprehensively talk about what it wants.

South Korea offered Dec 29 to hold talks with North Korea in January to discuss all issues of mutual concern, but Pyongyang has kept mum about the proposal.